'Just last night, we were conversing freely...'
Looking at the grief-stricken Slufin, everyone in the room was stunned and bewildered.
'The Chief was indeed old, his hair and beard as white as snow, his skin withered, but his spirit had still been vigorous, without any sign of decline. How could he have passed away so suddenly?'
'The key point was that the Chief's last stop yesterday was Law's room.'
Law hadn't thought much of it, but Biscuit, while puzzled, considered this and immediately observed Slufin's expression. Only after finding no suspicion did she feel slightly relieved.
After all, they were still outsiders, and the timing of the Chief's death was quite sensitive, so Slu Tribesmen might suspect them, as such things had nothing to do with gratitude.
Fortunately, Biscuit found no hint of suspicion in Slufin's behavior, but she couldn't guarantee how other Slu Tribesmen might think.
With this concern in mind, Biscuit followed Law and Slufin to the Chief's dwelling.
On the way, Law frowned, thinking about last night's conversation with the Chief. He felt a sense of regret.
He could sense the Chief's worries and concerns for the Slu Tribe's future. In just a few days, Law could have transformed the Slu Tribe's dwelling, but the Chief would never see it.
He thought of the dazzling starlight at the bottom of the stone basin and couldn't help but sigh softly.
Since they planned to stay in the Slu Tribe's settlement for a while, he had only asked the Chief questions last night without taking the opportunity to learn more about the enigmatic figure of Don Freecss. He hadn't expected this to happen.
The Slu Tribe's dwelling wasn't large. After a short walk, they arrived at the Chief's house.
At this moment, the Slu Tribespeople crowded around, packed like sardines in a subway car during rush hour.
Noticing Law's group approaching, they all turned to look.
Biscuit glanced over the Slu Tribesmen standing around the house. After only seeing a few with bruised and swollen faces but found nothing else amiss, she finally felt completely at ease.
'It seemed the Slu tribespeople were pure and simple. In their eyes, Law had done them a great favor and would never harm the Chief. So, even though the Chief had left Law's room last night and died without warning this morning, it wouldn't raise their suspicions.'
The house was surrounded tightly. Every Slu Tribesman had a sorrowful expression, many with wet cheeks. The entire narrow space was filled with grief.
The crowd parted to create a path, those on both sides watching as Law's group entered the house.
Inside stood five older Slu Tribesmen. They showed no particular reaction when Slufin led Law's group in.
On the stone bed, only a human-shaped scorch mark and a pile of black ash remained.
It was a very abnormal phenomenon.
Law, Biscuit, and Tonpa stared blankly at the black ash on the bed. With just one glance, they could infer death by burning, yet...
Looking at the other six Slu Tribesmen in the room, including Slufin, none seemed to find this scene unusual.
'Did that mean this was how Slu tribespeople normally died?'
Bruna established a communication channel for the group.
As if sensing the outsiders' confusion, Slufin explained in a low voice, "The Chief died of old age. When our people near the end of their lifespan, their faint Heart Fire erupts with final energy, burning away every part of the body."
He only explained this phenomenon, which seemed incongruous to outsiders, without going into further detail.
After the Slu Tribe migrated away from near the earth's core, they lost the protection of their terrain and the supply of Chasefire Stones.
On the path of survival, they could die of starvation, exhaustion, or in battle, but rarely from old age.
The Chief dying of old age was something every Slu Tribesman had expected, though they didn't know when it would happen. And today was the day.
When the Chief woke up early a few days ago, a few Slu Tribesmen had joked about it. Who would have thought it would come true?
So, those few were beaten up by the others.
'So that was it.'
Biscuit silently understood why the Slu Tribesmen wouldn't point fingers at them.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Law hadn't thought as much as Biscuit. Looking at the crowd, he said just that.
Slufin mentioned they would soon scatter the ashes left by the Chief to the winds.
Hearing what they planned to do, Law was surprised and stopped them.
The Slu Tribe had no burial culture. Those who died accidentally during hunts were left in the underground world, while those who died of old age had their ashes scattered to the wind.
One could imagine that if those who died of old age didn't turn to ash, the Slu Tribesmen might indeed discard the bodies outside, adhering to a principle called 'return'. In fact, this practice had another benefit: freeing up space in the dwelling.
Having no place for burial after death… wasn't that the true portrayal of the Slu Tribe in the underground world?
Under the puzzled gazes of the Slu Tribesmen, Law removed a piece of Vein Stone and began cutting it with Shin in front of them.
After a few cuts, Law felt the True Lord's blade was too long and inconvenient to use, so he switched to using his hands.
However, the Vein Stone's hardness was terrifying. Even with his Domain compressed and reduced, he couldn't easily cut through the Vein Stone.
He carved the Vein Stone slowly, bit by bit.
What Law intended to do was simply make an urn for the Chief.
Though the efficiency was poor, to outsiders, it appeared as careful, meticulous work.
After about half an hour, Law crafted an exquisitely designed urn from Vein Stone and asked Slufin and the others to place the Chief's ashes into it.
Initially, the Slu tribespeople were reluctant, but Law eventually persuaded them by promising to expand their dwelling.
There was no lively funeral, only a silent farewell from everyone's heart.
Afterward, Law began expanding the Slu tribe's dwelling. His task was simple, which is to use Shin to cut pieces of Vein Stone. The cut stone wouldn't be discarded but could be used to make furniture and other items.
The Slu Tribesmen didn't cast aside their grief over the Chief's death but kept it buried deep inside. They watched in awe as Law worked his magic, occasionally gasping in amazement.
To them, what Law was doing seemed utterly incredible.
The stubbornly hard Vein Stone appeared so fragile before Law.
Pieces of stone were cut down, and the Slu Tribesmen didn't just watch idly. Under Biscuit's direction, they followed Law's wishes, sorting and storing the Vein Stone pieces of different sizes.
None of the Slu Tribesmen had likely ever imagined that their dwelling would undergo a complete transformation from this moment on.
There were large stone pieces, but also some smaller scraps.
While expanding the dwelling, Law's mind was constantly working.
He thought the Vein Stone's hardness could be very useful.
For example, small scraps could be carved into tiny marbles or spikes. Combined with Emission-type effects, they could be effective in combat.
Usually, they could be stored in Kuro's space and summoned at will when needed.
Moreover, he could use the Surprise Box to fuse poisons with the Vein Stone for enhancement.
He could even make a set of mahjong tiles!